A quick way to a flavored vinegar is by heating the vinegar on LOW heat and getting vinegar hot but not too hot, not close to boiling. Place herbs in

bottle, pour vinegar over them and ... you have a herbal vinegar for all kinds of things.

You can also use it in facial / body care products by adding distilled water to dilute and .. running it through coffee filter or cheese cloth to get out

particulate matter.

Recipes

Facial Toner 2 oz. 100 proof vodka 2 oz. witch hazel 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. tea tree essential oil Mix and put in a flip top cap bottle. Squirt a bit on cotton after washing your face. Easy and effective. Controls the oil, fights & heals blemishes. Becky 3/12/99

Light Toner This light toner is wonderful for just after you've washed your face, before you apply moisurizer. Brew a couple of the herbal tea bags that contain:

Chamomil ,Peppermint, Alfalfa, Lemon Grass, Fennel Seed, Licorice Root and natural Lemon. Let Cool. Mix about 2cups Tea with 1 cup Witch Hazel or, add more Witch Hazel if your skin is oily. It smells good too!

Lemon Witch Hazel Toner The freshest lemon in an alcohol base will blot away excess oil and grime from oily skin.  Ingredients: 2 tbsp (30 ml) Vodka 2 tbsp (30 ml) Fresh Lemon Juice 1 tsp. (5 ml) witch hazel 1 tbsp (15 ml) Water To Make: Mix all ingredients thoroughly. It is important that the Lemon Juice is freshly squeezed, as the bottled variety has antioxidizing Chemicals in it that are not Pure enough for application on the face.To Use: This toner is quite strong in its astringent (oil removing) effect. to moderate it, I suggest not adding the alcohol, in which case it will not last as long because alcohol is a good preservative or simply not using this preparation every day. Apply in the usual way and don't leave on the skin very long rinse off with warm water. Do not apply to broken skin it will

sting!

Hair Rinse

2c apple cider vinegar about 1/4 c powdered dried lavender flowers about 1/8 c dried, powdered rosemary about 1/4 c dried, powdered patchouli leaves 1 c water

Put the apple cider, lavender, rosemary and patchouli into a small pot and bring to a simmer. Bring heat down to almost nothing, if you are using an electric range put heat on lowest setting for about 15 min, turn off heat and let cool down. After mixture is cool, pour into your container, I used an old shampoo bottle and add the water.

This should be used after you wash your hair, squeeze hair dry, pour on

vinegar, rinse well.

Bath Tonic for Flabby Flesh

1 pint of white vinegar 2 drachms of Rosemary 2 drachms of Rue 2 drachms of Camphor 2 drachms of Lavender From "Fortunes in Formulas" by Hiscox and Sloane. First printing in 1907; it's been out of print for many years

Splash Recipes

Anti Mosquito Splash"Add a couple of drops of citronella eo to a bottle of witch hazel or a bottle of orange flower water and shake." EASY, huh? (I buy orange flower water at local ethnic markets)

After Bath Splash After-bath splashes are great to use when you get out of the tub or any time you desire a light, wispy fragrance.

Combine the following ingredients in a bottle and shake well:

1/2 cup 100-proof vodka 1/2 teaspoon fragrance oil 1 tablespoon glycerin 1 drop food coloring (optional)

Oil Fighting Toner

1 1/4 cup witch hazel (I actually use a combination of witch hazel and alcohol, but that's to you) 20 drops eucalyptus EO 7 drops clove EO 7 drops peppermint EO 10 drops rosemary EO

Pour together and mix. Believe it or not, I have sensitive skin, and that stuff works great! I haven't had any reaction to any of the ingredients, and my skin clears up. I've been using it for about three months now.

Sore Muscle Rub (Linament) The Equipment: a squeeze or spray bottle, ~16 ounce capacity, see-thru two spoons (optional) a mortar (optional)

The Ingredients: 8 plain, uncoated, unbuffered, no-frills aspirin (not Tylenol, Advil, Motrin, Aleve, Pamprin, or Bufferin) ~ 7 ounces Lysterine

Antiseptic Mouthwash ~ 7 ounces witch hazel (plain, unscented is best for me) 1 teaspoon arnica oil (check health food stores) 1 teaspoon vitamin E oil (try for 23,000 IU or better) 1 teaspoon essential oil of lavender

Mixing It Up: In mortar or using the back of a spoon on another spoon, crush the aspirin as small as you can. Add this powder to the bottle and add the remaining ingredients. Shake very well, until the aspirin is fully dissolved and oils are mixed in. The aspirin will have a tendency to settle in the bottle.

The essential oils were not in the original recipe that I worked with. However, the smell of regular Listerine isn't all that pleasant, to be

honest. You can mute this a little with the addition of the lavender. It's

still not going to smell great, though.Using the rub: Carefully massage it into the affected area.

* Cautions and warnings:*

Some of the ingredients in this mixture should give you pause. First, aspirin. Are you allergic? Should you be using is? Think about this carefully. Does your condition warrant it? Is there a possibility you could be pregnant?

Second, This recipe was formulate for me. This recipe may not work for you.

Keep this in mind when you mix the ingredients. Your kind of muscle cramps may not need this mixture or may not be able to stand massage or touch of any kind. Always seek the help of a professional in situations that may be

causing you extreme pain. Use common sense.

Third, Listerine. The active ingredients of Listerine antiseptic mouthwash (plain) are Thymol (0.064%), Eucalyptol (0.092%), Methyl Salicylate (0.060%), and Menthol (0.042%). 29% of the total mix is alcohol (an inactive ingredient on the label). Concerns have been raised in the standard and traditional medicine arenas concerning the use of several of these ingredients on the skin. At low percentages, and with infrequent use common to leg cramp sufferers, the percentages in the overall linament mixture are believed to be relatively harmless. However, enough evidence exists that you should exercise caution when using substance that have these ingredients. Concerns for you to research include how long the skin holds onto these ingredients, what happens when these ingredients are processed by the skin, and what the possibility is of buildup in the body, if any.

Salad Burnet and Chives

Cut from your garden fresh Salad Burnet and Chives. Put them into a cleaned out pickle jar. Pour vinegar to fill the jar. Place the uncovered jar into

the microwave and zap for a minute and a half. put the lid on, making sure that the lid has no exposed metal as this will ruin the vinegar. If metal is exposed, cover the top of the jar with clear wrap before putting on the lid. Sit on a sunny windowsill for 2-4 weeks, shaking the jar daily. Strain out

the herbs by means of a non-metal strainer followed by straining through a coffee filter. I find that if you place the coffee filter over the empty jar and secure it with a rubber band, that this is the easiest, least messy way to strain. Store the finished product in a cool, dry, dark place. Add some salad burnet when giving vinegar as a gift, but store the vinegar without herbs in it to avoid cloudiness.